


Wild Shape

by ahymnisasong



Series: Memories [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Flashbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 03:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16846033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahymnisasong/pseuds/ahymnisasong
Summary: A collection of memories from Milo Greenwillow. All memories told in his point of view. Memories can be triggered in-game, by events, or dreams. All memories archived here.





	Wild Shape

**Author's Note:**

> Milo Greenwillow is my character from an active Dungeons & Dragons campaign called "Hollow is the Soul".

A young boy sat himself below the mossiest tree in Tethir quietly practicing his spells by sprouting the tiniest flowers on the trees roots. The sun shone through the leaves, the spots of light danced on his skin and over his clothes and the warm summer breeze kissed his cheeks as it blew by. He sat that way for a while humming a song to himself, one of his favorites, that his mother would always hum to him - except of course he couldn’t quite remember some of the notes. As the young Druid sprinkled his magic over the mossy roots of the tree a noise caught his attention in the background. He looked over his shoulder to see a large Elk approaching him, a brilliant bull, with large widespread antlers. It was the largest animal he had ever seen before and he stood up to greet it when it reached him at the base of the tree. He stared up in awe, emerald green eyes glittering with wonder, he reached a small hand up reaching for it’s nose. The bull dipped it’s head down and bumped the boy’s hand who let out a gentle gasp of surprise.

“Milo…”

His name? The young Druid turned his head to the side and ran his fingers up the snout of the Elk wondering about what he’d heard. Maybe his mother was calling for him? He looked around and saw no one nearby, it was just them under the shade of the tree and the same light summer breeze blowing by.

Milo continued to pet the Elk and he smiled as he felt the softness of the fur, how quiet the creature stood before him. Something else nagged at him though, something didn’t feel right. It looked and stood like an Elk but Milo couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity as rested his hand on it’s nose. He looked carefully at the creature’s face seeing the large rack of antlers down to the white patch of fur on it’s nose and he looked to the side to see its eyes. The Elk looked at him, too, with a kind of familiarity but Milo was certain he’d never seen an Elk this close up before. Something else he noticed was its eye colour, it wasn’t brown like he’d known an Elk’s eyes to be but this Elk had eyes that were blue, not a bright or dark blue, but a kind blue that looked at him with love and kindness. He felt protected under it’s gaze, he felt like he knew those eyes.

“Milo…”

He heard his name again and this time he didn’t look away to find a voice. Maybe it was crazy, maybe he just didn’t know enough yet, but at six years of age he realized he knew this Elk. He didn’t know how but he could feel the connection they had, he felt the kindness between them. He stood in front of the creature and let his hands fall to his sides. For a minute they stood their not saying anything, they just looked at each other, understanding each other. Finally, Milo opened his mouth to speak “Papa?” It came out like a question but he knew it in his heart that it was more of a proclamation. He didn’t know how he knew it, but somehow this Elk was his father.

The Elk closed its kind blue eyes and opened them again slowly. It looked away from Milo and walked behind him to the tree and it kept walking all the way around the tree until it was out of the young boy’s sight. Milo stood and watched and waited for it to come around the other side but when it didn’t he ran to the tree and peered around the back frowning when he didn’t see the bull anymore. He walked all the way behind the tree following it’s footsteps and saw no trace of it anywhere. It moved so slowly, how could it have gotten away so fast?

A leaf crunched behind him and he turned quickly and saw nothing, he walked around to the front of the tree and still saw nothing. He walked himself around the front of the tree in a circle until he heard another leaf crunch. He spun around and ran to the back of the tree only to find, again, nothing. He was getting frustrated and confused, was the Elk still around? What was he hearing? He turned to run back to the front of the large tree but when he did a familiar figure was caught tiptoeing over the trees roots hugging the tree behind him with a coy smile.

“Papa!” The young boy cried and he ran to his father who let out a joyful laugh and spread out his arms to scoop up his son and hug him tight. Milo laughed as he was lifted into the air and he nuzzled his face into his father’s cheek.

“Were you the Elk, papa?” Milo asked with excited eyes.

“I was worried you couldn’t tell.” His father replied with a chuckle and a smile putting Milo back down on the ground. He knelt down and rested his arms on his knee looking at Milo with a loving expression.

“How did you do that?” Milo asked his father “Is it something I can do too?”

“Actually Milo, it’s something I’m going to teach you do to today.” His father shrugged his shoulders “it might take a couple of tries, but I’m certain you’ll figure it out.” His father smiled at him and he rose to his feet holding out his hand for Milo to take.

“Can mama do it too?” Milo asked as he grabbed onto his father’s fingers and walked with him heading in a direction of a river Milo knew was nearby. Him and his father usually practiced magic there.

“Of course she can, this is something most Druids know how to do, Milo.” His father smiled as they walked and Milo felt more excited with each step they took.

* * *

On the way to their usual practice spot Jameson Greenwillow spent the time telling Milo all about the special Druidic ability he called “Wild Shape”. He told Milo that most Druids know how to use it, and that some Archdruids like him and his wife can shapeshift into more than just woodland creatures. However, he did let Milo know that it takes a Druid of a special mastery level to turn into just about anything, even taking on the appearance of a person if they wanted to.

Milo was awed by the information his father was telling him, he began to worry that he couldn’t do it right. His father touched a hand to his shoulder and told Milo that he believed he could, therefore Milo believed he could too.

“So… what do I do?” Milo asked as he stood there awkwardly swinging his arms forward and back.

“Just what I said, Milo, you have to feel it in here.” His father poked him in the chest and it made Milo giggle. “Feel the energy in the air around you, just like how we borrow the energy of nature around us to cast spells, let that flow through you and feel what is most natural to you. Once you get more experience you can turn into anything, but for now start with what you feel.” His father handed Milo a small plant and backed away to give him some space and sat down with his legs crossed watching him patiently.

Milo felt nervous but understood what he was supposed to do. He cleared his head of his doubts and sat down on his knees putting his palms to the ground and feeling the grass blades between his small fingers, holding the bushel of mistletoe his father had given him tightly in his grip. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings listening to the sound of the river and the leaves rustling through the wind in the trees. He focused on the grass at his fingertips and smelled the Earth of the muddied river shore.

He sat like this for a while and his father just watched him, studying him with a unique interest. After a few moments Milo sighed and looked up at his father who said nothing and motioned with his hand for him to keep going. Milo frowned and started again, trying to focus on everything until he realized maybe that was the problem.

One by one he let the sounds go and he let himself drift into the energy currents of the forest, letting it carry him like a leaf drifting downstream. Images flashed in his mind as he sought out a wild shape, he let the feeling of his body go and drifted in peace through the energy that pulsed through him.

Jameson sat still watching him even more intently, seeing the moment of realization that his incredibly gifted son had on how to complete the spell. He muttered words in Druidic to help edge Milo along giving him things to latch on to in his mind. His hand rested over his chin and mouth as he sat watching and thinking seeing the golden magic around Milo dancing and curling like the embers of a fire flying into the night sky. He was sure at this point Milo had the idea of what to do, but he began to doubt he could carry out the spell on his first attempt. He waited for Milo to drop the spell, waited to see how far he would get before it exhausted his small body too much. Still, part of him wanted to see him succeed.

It was not long before Milo was covered in a bright golden light that slowly melted away to reveal a small wolf pup laying on the ground. Jameson stood quickly and didn’t move for a second taking in the situation and understanding that his son completed the spell and fully transformed himself right before his eyes. “By the Gods…” he muttered to himself and he walked over to the sleeping pup crouching beside it hovering his hands over Milo before reaching down to touch him.

Without warning Milo picked his head up and tried to stand fumbling over onto his father’s lap at first. Jameson picked up his head and looked at him in the eyes and saw the familiar bright emerald eyes of his son. He looked at the rest of him and saw that the pup’s colour was a light brown, the same as Milo’s hair colour. He looked at Milo’s face again and when he did the pup tried to stand again, this time able to do it without trouble. He walked away from his father then turned around and circled himself, almost like he was chasing his tail. Then he jumped to face his father and ran up to him pouncing on his with his little paws.

Jameson smiled and pet Milo between his ears. “Your mother’s really gonna get a kick out of this.” he told him. Milo’s tail wagged and he jumped around. Jameson was impressed that Milo could do it right the first time and wondered how far he could push his son. “But first you have to go back to being you.” Jameson told him testing to see the strength of Milo’s power. Hearing that made Milo stop and he seemed like he was thinking about something. Suddenly his ears fell flat and he let out a soft howl, Jameson knew this was Milo not understanding how to go back.

He held up both of his hands to calm Milo before he started to panic and he moved closer to him. “Just do as you did before, you can go back it’s much more of a natural feeling of being you than someone else.” He sat next to Milo and waited to see what he would do. It took a well experienced Druid to shapeshift at will, he wondered if Milo could despite being so young yet so gifted.

Inside of Milo’s head panic swirled with uncertainty, everything looked and felt different to him. He tried to stay calm and listened to his father’s words as he focused on trying to go back. His father sat next to him the entire time and for a while nothing happened. Milo looked at his father and softly howled again, he felt stuck, he felt like he couldn’t figure out how to feel the energy of the forest in this new body of his.

Jameson comforted him whispering and cooing in his ear gentle things that Milo needed to hear. Though he wouldn’t show it Jameson also worried for his son, but he knew after some time his son would go back to normal on his own for the spell would wear out, but he just had to see if Milo could change at will.

After moments of relentless focusing and trying Milo just couldn’t go back to normal. Jameson sighed and Milo howled out a cry, Jameson held his son close and whispered to him, “Don’t worry, you’ll go back to normal, the spell will wear off but it’ll take some time. It won’t be for more than one bell, alright?” Milo perked his ears up at that and puffed air out of his snout as a sigh.

Jameson smiled suddenly and picked up his son to carry him back home. “Until then, what do you say we surprise your mother?” Milo looked at his father curiously and wagged his tail with delight. He barked out a response that only made his father laugh more as they made their way to the camp.


End file.
